Review's Resort

The Lost Legion (Booktober)

Friday, 30 October 2020

The Avalon Café Mysteries (Booktober)

"With Arthur by my side, I can face anything life cares to throw at me."

For any of you reading my Thursday book posts, you'll probably recognize this title. Serenity Woods adopted a new pen name in Hermione Moon and started publishing cozy witch mysteries from The Avalon Café series about kitchen witch Gwen, who just so happens to give a home to a suit of armour in her coffee shop that it turns out houses none other but the spirit of Arthur! Yes, THAT Arthur. Together with Merlin the loyal labradoodle, the trio then proceed to unravel murders and mysteries happening in their sleepy little town of Glastonbury, and just in case you're wondering - yes, Gwen IS the reincarnation of Guinevere. So really, what better way to spend your fall afternoons than by reading about King Arthur and his lady-love?

Gwen Young runs The Avalon Cafe in Glastonbury, England, and solves murders with a psychic Labradoodle called Merlin and a boyfriend who only materializes when she’s in trouble. Well, every girl needs a knight in shining armour! Join Gwen, Arthur, and the rest of their friends as they solve mysteries and murders, and fall in love along the way!

(from Goodreads)

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The Bourne Trilogy (Booktober)

The Bourne Trilogy (Booktober)

Thursday, 29 October 2020

The Lost Legion (Booktober)

"Go towards your destiny, faithful heart, and we towards ours."

This book by H. Warner Munn is a little bit of a dark horse, because I feel like most people will know The Last Legion, but not this one. The Lost Legion tells the story of a (you guessed it) Roman legion which is sent by an insane emperor to find survivors of an ancient battle. The emperor just wants to get rid of it because he senses its commander is dangerous, but said commander has too much pride and honour to turn back once this comes to light, and continues on the trek towards China and the Great Wall on his hopeless quest. And tagging along with them is a woman who, if all goes well, just might become the ancestor of none other than Attila the Hun ...

The mad Roman emperor Caligula sends a crack legion on a hopeless task to recover the standard of a Roman Army that disappeared 100 years earlier ...

(from Goodreads)

*image not mine

Wednesday, 28 October 2020

The Bourne Trilogy (Booktober)

"Cain is for Charlie, and Delta is for Cain."

Who doesn't know Jason Bourne? Other than Jason Bourne, that is. The movies with Matt Damon portraying the titular character (that Hollywood won't let die) cemented him in our minds, but let me tell you, the books - at least the original trilogy written by Ludlum himself - are SPECTACULAR. And I mean spectacular. They've got so much more plot in comparison to the movies, so much more detail and intricacy, and Bourne becomes an even better character stepping off the page than he is on the silver screen. So have a look at how Treadstone shaped this special agent - then spat him back out, and the consequences of that decision just so happened to shake the world at its foundations.

Who is Jason Bourne? Is he an assassin, a terrorist, a thief? Why has someone tried to murder him? Jason Bourne does not know the answer to any of these questions. Suffering from amnesia, he does not even know that he is Jason Bourne. What are his secrets? Who has he killed? To succeed, he must maneuver through the dangerous labyrinth of international espionage—an exotic world filled with CIA plots, turncoat agents, and ever-shifting alliances—all the while hoping to find the truth behind his haunted memories and the answers to his own fragmented past. For there are two Bournes—and one must die. His plan is simple: to infiltrate the politically and economically Medusan group and use himself as bait to lure the cunning Jackal into a deadly trap, a trap from which only one of them will escape.

(from Goodreads)

*image not mine

Tuesday, 27 October 2020

Becoming Mrs. Lewis (Booktober)

"What on earth would become of me if I should ever grow brave?"

When reading C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, inevitably a question should arise about the author himself - what was he like, who his friends were, what happened to him. Becoming Mrs. Lewis answers some of those questions, though keep in mind it IS a fictionalized version of the life of the woman who ended up marrying him. Still, it's an insight, and even if you end up disliking it (and a lot of people do, at that, because they say she was incredibly selfish based on what you read in this book) I think it's something you have to make up your mind for yourself. Certainly it's worth a read as it gives you all the glory of Oxford in fall!

When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had.

(from Goodreads)

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Monday, 26 October 2020

Lord John Grey (Booktober)

"A conclusion is simply the point at which you give up thinking."

So you may have heard of Outlander - that tiny little show about time travel and James Fraser - but have you checked out the book spin-off series, about Lord John Grey? Well if you haven't, now is an excellent time, because if there's one person who can definitely put a smile on your face during rainy fall afternoons, it's Lord John. If he isn't accidentally landing at the siege of Quebec, then he's somehow getting himself in trouble in Jamaica. AND he has time to visit the Frasers while he's at it! I swear, this guy gets around. But Diana Gabaldon was sure on to something when he popped into existence, and I highly recommend his books.

In this highly-anticipated new story, Diana Gabaldon brings back one of her most compelling characters: the unforgettable Lord John Grey - soldier, gentleman, and no mean hand with a blade. Set in the heart of the eighteenth century, Lord John's world is one of mystery and menace. Diana Gabaldon brilliantly weaves together the strands of Lord John's secret and public lives. Capturing the lonely, tormented, and courageous career of a man who fights for his crown, his honor, and his own secrets, Diana Gabaldon delivers breathtaking human drama, proving once again that she can bring history to life in a way few novelists ever have.

(from Goodreads)

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Sunday, 25 October 2020

The Last Wish (Booktober)

"People like to invent monsters and monstrosities.

Then they seem less monstrous themselves."

Alright so I COULD have included the entire series in here and just went 'oh read The Witcher' books, but here's the thing: unlike some others, Andrzej Sapkowski's work is a bit of an acquired taste so I suggest you start with what chronologically seems to be the first, which is The Last Wish. After you've finished that, you can decide whether or not you'd like to follow Geralt's adventures further, and trust me, you'll have to make your own decision for sure, as the fandom is definitely split, especially now that there's a television show thrown in the mix. But overall, if you like a darker interpretation of fairytales and want to imagine Henry Cavill traipsing around the countryside dealing with problems, this is the book for you!

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good ... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth ...

(from Goodreads)

*image not mine